Posted by Joshua on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Three important stories for Syria:

"The nation WITH the Golan," a very popular bumper sticker in Israel

The Golan: The new Israeli referendum law dashes the hopes of a renewed Syrian-Israeli peace process. The law dictates that any “retreat” from land that Israel currently claims as its own (meaning the territories it has annexed – the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem) must be approved by a public referendum. The law passed by a majority of 65 to 33. It can only be overturned by a 2/3 majority of Knesset. See a recent protest in the Golan by Syrians worried about Golan lake drying up due to pumping by Israel’s national water company.

Addendum:

The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced the following:

“The decision taken by the Israeli Knesset to organize a referendum before withdrawing from the Occupied Syrian Golan and East Jerusalem constitutes a complete disregard for international law and the demands of the international community that considers East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan occupied Arab territories, and has decried the annexation of the Golan and East Jerusalem as null and void.

The decision taken by Israel on Monday confirms that it rejects the requirements of a just and comprehensive peace based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and the principle of land-for-peace.

This procedure taken by Israel is unequivocally rejected, and does not change the fact that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory, not up for negotiations, and that the full return of the Golan to the line of June 4, 1967 constitutes the basis for establishing peace.

The Syrian Arab Republic considers this Israeli procedure as directed to those who are still under the delusion that the current Israeli government seeks peace and, on this basis, continue to shower Israel with rewards.”

The bill makes peace with Syria, which is conditioned on withdrawal from the Golan Heights, impossible. There might be even less public support for the Golan withdrawal than there is for a West Bank one; it’s just discussed less in the media.

What this law does is essentially present a choice to the international community: either force a resolution on the Israeli people or give up on the two-state solution.

U.S. State Department refused to take a stand on the new Israeli law. Spokesman Philip J. Crowley said the law was “an internal Israeli issue.”

Addendum: See Shai’s corrections and criticism of Plitnick in the comment section. He argues that the referendum law is fairly meaningless and will not inhibit a peace deal.

Iran: The Iranian Assembly Pushes to Oust Iran President reports the WSJ. Iran’s parliament revealed it planned to impeach President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but refrained under orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, exposing a deepening division within the regime.

The material about Wissam al-Hassan [He oversaw security for Hariri at the time of the murder and is now considered potential suspect] is clearly the most disturbing and complicating element in this whole report. It’s an accusation that makes everybody’s life more difficult. Given al-Hassan’s close ties to Saad Hariri, no one in March 14 is going to be happy with these claims, and the Americans were apparently very uncomfortable with them. It also causes problems for Hizbullah and its allies: how can the opposition embrace the revelation about al-Hassan’s alleged culpability while disavowing the rest of the report? Finally, the Syrians, too, will not be happy with this leak, as Wissam al-Hassan was Hariri Sr.’s main channel to Rustom Ghazzali (former Syrian head of intelligence and de facto viceroy in Lebanon), which puts Damascus back under the spotlight.

This CBC report rendered a great service to Hizbullah’s campaign against the Hariri court… to accuse the key intelligence guy in the Hariri camp, Al-Hasan, of complicity is to turn the investigation into a farce.

Addendum: Qifa Nabki has added a new post, laying out serious criticisms of the Macdonald article. One is by T-Desco who first pointed out that Macdonald is wrong to claim that the first two investigators ignored cell phone calls. Both were well aware of the “red team” and reported extensively on this group of people who seemed to be tailing Hariri. The second is a fuller explanation of these contradictions by Ben Ryan. Read it. Early reports presumed that the red team were Sunnis from Tripoli with possible Sunni extremist connections. The Ghamloush and girlfriend breakthrough, first reported on in 2006, linked the group to Hizbullah. We have no explanation for the Tripoli connection; this leaves a number of question marks. Ryan concludes:

I’ve seen no attempt at an explanation of how these magical phone records could point to the Syrians in October 2005 and then Hezbollah in 2006, 2009, and 2010. Basically, I smell a rat. Maybe these are real and maybe they say exactly what MacDonald says they do. But this story is being peddled, not investigated.

President Barack Obama said Monday he was committed to keeping Lebanon free of “terrorism” as tensions and fears of violence rose sharply in Beirut. “We continue to support the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which will end the era of political assassinations with impunity in Lebanon,” he said. “Lebanon and its children need a future where they can fulfill their dreams free of fear and intimidation.”

The predicted indictment of Hezbollah members would suggest that they are suspected of killing Hariri at the behest of their Syrian allies. In response, the Syrians have regularly looked to discredit the investigation as biased, with a senior Syrian diplomat telling me that its enemies were using the tribunal as “a game” against it.

If it is a game then Syria still has cards to play and none more powerful than its alliance with Hezbollah. A senior Hezbollah official warned that “such an indictment is a warning bell equivalent to lighting the fuse, to igniting the wick for an explosion, and is dangerous for Lebanon”.

In regard to your Nov. 8 editorial “The Damascus Mirage”: President Bashar Assad was never “visited by” Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman or National Security Council Senior Director Daniel Shapiro; in fact, he has yet to meet with them. As for other American politicians who have visited Syria, we did indeed reciprocate. They came with nice words about engagement; they heard kind words about engagement. They want to send an ambassador to Syria, we exceeded that by not withdrawing our ambassador to the U.S. to begin with.

The crux of the problem is not engagement. It is peace. The truth is that only when Israel—the illegal occupier of our lands—decides to return our land will there be peace in the Middle East. Until then, political and military resistance will inevitably, and rightfully, persist. Instead of implying the need for more U.S. military enterprises and chaos in our region, you should think about what is best for “beloved” Israel: peace.

Bribing Israel: Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer criticized the recent U.S. offer to provide Israel with a 3 billion dollar package of incentives in exchange for an additional 90-day freeze on West Bank settlement construction. He wrote:

Marriage between relatives, which accounts for thirty-eight percent of marriages in Syria, threatens Syrians with disability, which affects ten percent of the population. (SSRC’s latest update)

The level of remittances to Syria is estimated by the World Bank at USD 1.4 billion for 2010, a figure significantly higher than in previous estimates. (Syria Report)

The General Company for Mills, a state-owned company, is expecting its losses to reach some SYP 53 billion, or USD 1.15 billion, next year, according to its director-general, Abu Zeid Katbeh. (Syria Report)

Speaking in New York last week, International Atomic Energy Agency director general Yukiya Amano said the organization had the authority to send inspectors to sites in Syria where there is a suspicion that prohibited nuclear activities have taken …

On Board Air India One, Nov 21 : President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, who left on nine day state visit to West Asia on Sunday, described Syria as an important country for India’s energy security needs.

Democracy Debate – Shadi Hamid and Greg Gause discussed whether democracy in the Middle East is in Washington’s interests, what Islamists would do if they came to power, and the durability of authoritarian rule across the Arab world. Blogginghead TV.

The best I’ve ever seen from the Arab world. Not the same production values of الاجتياح or some of the other historical epics, but the writing is great and the topics they take on are legitimately ground-breaking. A BBC Arabic article about it: but WARNING: don’t watch the film clip through to the end if you don’t want a big plot point spoiled!

the material about Wissam al-Hassan is clearly the most disturbing and complicating element in this whole report. It’s an accusation that makes everybody’s life more difficult. Given al-Hassan’s close ties to Saad Hariri, no one in March 14 is going to be happy with these claims, and the Americans were apparently very uncomfortable with them. It also causes problems for Hizbullah and its allies: how can the opposition embrace the revelation about al-Hassan’s alleged culpability while disavowing the rest of the report? Finally, the Syrians, too, will not be happy with this leak, as Wissam al-Hassan was Hariri Sr.’s main channel to Rustom Ghazzali (former Syrian head of intelligence and de facto viceroy in Lebanon), which puts Damascus back under the spotlight.

Comments (20)

Shaisaid:

The information stated above is incomplete and, therefore, could likely mislead. The law that passed was not a Basic Law, with constitutional status, but rather an Ordinary Law, which can be repealed by a simple majority in Knesset. As long as the law stands, a 2/3 majority in Knesset can waive the referendum altogether.

This law is more about perception than it is a true threat to Peace. In Israel, it will now be perceived that our leaders aren’t “gambling away” land irresponsibly. But if or when Netanyahu feels it is time to sign a Peace Agreement with Syria, for example, if he has a simple majority in Knesset, he can repeal the ordinary law with another ordinary law, and there will be no referendum at all.

Since the referendum in any case comes only after Knesset APPROVES the Peace Agreement (which means it has to have 61/120 for it), the same majority can decide on the spot that it is unnecessary to have a referendum, which may bear opposite results.

Mitchell Plitnick is wrong twice – First, by stating the bill makes peace with Syria impossible (a pretty hefty claim to make, without understanding the bill), and second, when he states “there might be even less public support for the Golan withdrawal than there is for a West Bank one…” In case Plitnick hasn’t been keeping up to date, over the past 15 years, around 70% of Israelis have been against return of the Golan, and 30% for it. Over the same period, around 55%-60% of Israelis are for the return of the majority of the West Bank (and that’s without a Knesset-approved Peace Agreement!) So it’s not that there might be, there always has been less public support for giving back the Golan.

The real issue with this new law is internal-Israeli, having little to do with the likelihood of Peace. It is about the use of referenda in general that has been introduced for the first time in Israel’s history. Many modern nations use it, but Israel’s hasn’t until now. In the minds of some, this may not be a great step forward.

Simo said
If you mean by secular, democratic and equal use those terms because secular isn’t a synonym for democratic and equal.
This is great point,I agree with it completely.
I want to point out that freedom is the issue,freedom leads to democracy and equality,and not all societies are 100% similar,they are different by their believes,their traditions,history and economy,so it is wrong to force one system of politics on all

First the present “ultra – zionist – moldavian” pressured government claims its right to be a “jewish state” (as if before such a publuc declaration it was a not – jewish state ). Thereby separating the legal rights of jews from others and are the sole right ones to make decisions about Israel.

The latest episode of what one would call “separation” that only a Jew has the right to determine whether to abide by UN Decisions and international law and by implication any Israeli (jew) is forwarned to not vote against any government decision to abide by international law as well as UN Resolutions.

In essence the present Israeli government is on record as challenging the authority of the entity that created it.

If there are still believers in the Arab world that the US is impartial and a so called honest broker then there is little left to be said.

Avigdor Lieberman wants North Korea taken care of before doing the same to Syria and Iran.

North Korea’s bombardment of a South Korean Island, which left two dead and thirteen wounded, shows that it is “necessary today, more than in the past, to stop and to topple this crazy regime, and to stop their proliferation and provocations,” Foreign Minster Avigdor Lieberman said at a Jerusalem press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Lieberman, with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, said North Korea is part of an axis of evil that includes Syria and Iran, and that there is close cooperation between them in the sphere of nuclear and missile technology.

“I think that North Korea is, as we see, a threat not only for their part of the world, but also for the Middle East and the entire world,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman said that a “bad message” is being sent. If the international community “cannot stop, cannot suffocate this crazy regime,” then how could it deal with Iran, he asked.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One of the most commonly used phrases when describing a certain party’s role in the Middle East is whether or not it is “constructive.” American officials have a special affinity for this phrase, particularly when referring to players whom they disagree with.

Syria is a case in point. Those who are pro-engagement with Syria defend engagement as a tool to make it play a more “constructive role.” Meanwhile, the anti-engagement crowd argues that such efforts are futile, and unwarranted, because Syria’s role is “not constructive.”

Yet, no one has defined what this all-too-ubiquitous “constructive role” entails.

We do know what it does not entail. Invading a country in the Middle East, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands, the displacement of millions, and engendering an all-too contagious sectarianism is not constructive. Turning a blind eye to the daily deaths of Palestinians, the building of illegal settlements, the world’s largest nuclear arms arsenal per capita, and the establishment of the only current apartheid state is not constructive. Brokering peace between two sides while arming one with billions of dollars worth of weapons and preventing the other from having a mere functioning state is not constructive. Continually fomenting sectarianism in Lebanon and historically favoring one side over another, all the while criticizing others for not playing a constructive role, well, is not constructive.

As people of the Middle East we cannot logically expect the United States to view its interests through our lens. Similarly, the United States cannot define what is ‘constructive’ in our region while completely neglecting our interests.

Every year, the University of Maryland, in conjunction with Zogby International, conducts an opinion survey in six Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Incidentally, these countries all have pro-American governments.

The results of the poll are very telling and can serve as a barometer for those trying to truly understand what the people view as ‘constructive’ or not.

Eighty-five percent of those surveyed have either a somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable attitude towards the United States; 63 percent are disappointed with U.S. President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy; 78 percent believe Iran has a right to a nuclear program; 88 percent and 77 percent respectively say that Israel and the United States pose the greatest threat; and when asked to rank their world’s favorite leader, the top five were: Erdogan, Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah, and Assad — not really a pro-American list.

Most importantly, when asked which country plays the most constructive role in the region, the United States came in dead last.

Of course, the reader does not require this essay or these poll results to discover that there is a deep anti-American sentiment in the region and around the world. The aim here is to highlight the irony, audacity, and indeed absurdity of having the foreign power viewed by the indigenous people as playing the least constructive role, define for those same people what is “constructive.”

On the other hand, the results of this survey indicate that Syria’s policies most reflect the aspirations and demands of the Arab street — clearly evident in President Assad ranking the highest among Arab heads-of-state, year in, year out. In light of these inexorable facts, American officials should, indeed, reconsider questioning Syria’s “constructive role” in the region.

What constitutes a constructive role in the Middle East is diligence towards ending all forms of occupation, allowing for the creation of a Palestinian state and helping bring about peace, stability, and opportunity for our people. If the United States truly believes in these goals, it should drop the hubris of dictating to us what is constructive for our own region, and instead engage in a serious dialogue on how to achieve them — flowery, sonorous speeches do not count. This would be the first step towards curbing anti-American sentiment, while creating a new, peaceful, Middle East.

Ahmed Salkini is the spokesperson for the Syrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The CBC article is a weird combination of obvious lies and real documents.

The UN/Bellemare reaction shows that the documents are real.

Whoever leaked these documents must have had an agenda.

Now, remember this:

American Official: Evidence Implicating Hizbullah in Hariri Assassination May Emerge within Days

Highly sensitive articles on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri are expected to be published in American newspapers within the next few days, said a media sources (sic) to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper.

It also added that only three individuals in the U.S. administration are following up on the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and matters related to it.

It reported one of the officials as saying: “Damning evidence that demonstrates Hizbullah’s involvement in the assassination may appear in the upcoming days.”

Furthermore, he considered Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s latest press conference, during which he said that Israel may be behind the crime, “as an attempt to mislead the investigation and buy some time.”

So perhaps in reaction to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s press conference the decision was made to leak some documents to the media (Macdonald, perhaps some others as well?). But Macdonald took his time (“A months-long CBC investigation, relying on interviews with multiple sources from inside the UN inquiry and some of the commission’s own records…”).

However, this still doesn’t explain the obvious lies, seemingly by former members of the UN commission, about the investigation itself.

It is clear that both the leaking and the lies by former investigation officials further undermine the credibility of the UN investigation.

The information here is OFTEN incomplete and misleading, because the “information” is posted to make Professor Josh’s jihadist followers feel better.

As long as Syria refuses to “come out of the cold” (give up on the Iranian theocracy), Israel will never in their right mind give up on the Golan and will never be pressured to do so from the int’l community.

“As long as Syria refuses to “come out of the cold” (give up on the Iranian theocracy),”

AP is right in a way as long as the status quo stays status the Syrians will not hve to deal with the likes of those israelis.

Elior Chen disciples charged with up to 20 years in prison.

Four men tortured children, feeding them feces and locking them in suitcases; one has been in a coma since 2008 after severe beating.

David Kugman, 24, one of Elior Chen’s four disciples, was charged with 20 years in prison on Tuesday for severely abusing a Jerusalem woman’s children. Two others, Avraham Maksalchi and Shimon Gabai, will spend 17 years in prison.

The Jerusalem District Court charged Kugman, Maksalchi and Gabai with shaking children, handcuffing them, feeding them feces, starving them and locking them in suitcases. In one case, Kugman tied a child to an electric oven, and did not move him until his skin began to peel. He then poured alcohol and salt on the child’s wounds. Maksalchi tortured children with hammers and suffocated them using scotch-tape.

Of all the incidents included in the indictment, the most severe was perpetrated by Kugman on March 12, 2008, not long before the affair was uncovered.

According to the indictment, Kugman entered the room of A., the youngest of the children, at 5 a.m., when the child was still asleep. He “stood him up on his legs and began beating him with force, punching him many times in his face and head, as he had been accustomed to doing throughout the period covered by the indictment. At some point, A. collapsed in Kugman’s arms and lost consciousness.”

The child has remained in a coma ever since.

Another disciple, Ro’i Tzoref, was charged with two and a half years, because he played a smaller role in the acts, having left Chen’s yeshiva in 2007.
The judge presiding over the case said that the disciples “challenged the basic understanding that children need to be protected.”

The children’s mother divorced their father in 2007 and married Chen, even though he was already married. The abuse of the children began while she still lived in her own house, but became much more severe after January 2008, when she moved with her children to Chen’s home in Betar Illit.

Chen is standing trial separately, and the mother, identified as M., has already been tried, convicted and sentenced with five years in prison for her part in the affair. She is due to appear as a state’s witness in Chen’s trial

“It is clear that both the leaking and the lies by former investigation officials further undermine the credibility of the UN investigation.”

Maybe that was MacDonald’s intention. Also he is putting the investigative team in a awkward situation by bringing in a new suspect, Wissam Al Hassan, a close ally to Hariri, who was never mentionned previously and whose suspicious role was deliberately ignored by Mehlis, Brammertz and Bellemare for fear of embarrassing Hariri.

Before it publishes its accusation, the TSL may be obliged to investigate, clear or indict this guy otherwise its credibility, already in trouble, will be even more.

Wissam al Hassan is also accused by Jamil al Seyyed through the Syrian court in the ‘false witnessses’ case that is now the hot and divisive issue in Lebanese Parlement

Death Sought for 3 Palestinians in Failed Assassination of Samir Shehadeh

A Lebanese military court on Wednesday sought the death penalty for three Palestinian fugitives over the attempted murder of the former police intelligence bureau chief, the National News Agency reported.

“Prosecutor Fadi Sawwan is seeking to put Fadi Zeidan, Abdul Nasser al-Duwali and Oussama Shehabi on death row for a 2006 terrorist attack that aimed to kill Lieutenant Colonel Samir Shehadeh,” the head of police intelligence at the time, the state-run agency reported. (…)AFP 07 Jul 10

Awadh’s Killing ‘Positive Step’ Although it Buried Bombing and Murder ‘Secrets’
(…)Awadh‘s name has appeared in several arrest warrants linked to deadly bombings and terror plots. Local TV stations also said that extremists have told investigators that they had heard the slain leader talk about the assassinations of MP Walid Eido, Maj. Gen. Francois Hajj and Maj. Wissam Eid.Naharnet, 15 Aug 10

Sunday’s army statement said several people from a ‘terrorist cell’ were arrested for their involvement in the August 13 and September 29 bombings in the port city of Tripoli that killed 21 people among them Lebanese soldiers.

The pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper said, citing security sources, that the cell members admitted to planning an attack on the Internal Security Forces (ISF) headquarters in Beirut’s Ashrafiyeh district.
(…)
Two wanted Fatah al-Islam members identified as Ousama al-Shehabi and Mohammed Awad reportedly bought the explosives from the same camp and used them for the second Tripoli bombing.DPA, Oct 14, 2008

(m. emph.)

Interestingly, Osama al-Shehabi was also among those who had offered shelter to Badih Hamadeh (who was later executed because PM Hariri had reactivated the death penalty).

The Iranian nuclear expert assassinated in Tehran on Monday was the top scientist and senior manager of Iran’s nuclear effort. Majid Shahriari was killed when an explosive charge placed in his car was detonated by remote control after he climbed into the vehicle, according to a Western intelligence expert with knowledge of the operation.

The assassination carried the signature of Israel’s Mossad, which has carried out similar operations on foreign soil over the decades. Typically, a team of agents reconnoiters the target and his routines over a period of months, assessing vulnerabilities and opportunities to escape afterward. Most of the operatives are usually on their way out of the country by the time the charge is detonated by a member who sees the target enter the booby-trapped car. “It’s like a suit,” says the intelligence expert. “An assassination must be custom-made.”